A major depressive episode is defined as a period of at least two weeks in which an individual experiences a depressed mood or loss of interest in daily activities and experiences a majority of specified depression symptoms, according to the 5th edition of the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.”
Here is a list of states ranked from the highest to lowest rate of adolescents reporting depressive episodes, according to the report, which uses data from 2018 to 2019, the most recent available:
1. New Mexico
2. Oregon
3. Washington
4. Nevada
5. North Carolina
6. Wyoming
7. Indiana
8. Idaho
9. Utah
10. Arizona
11. Iowa
12. Alaska
13. West Virginia
14. Vermont
15. Arkansas
16. Virginia
17. Kansas
18. Oklahoma
19. Michigan
20. Minnesota
21. Delaware
22. Massachusetts
23. Maine
24. Maryland
25. New Hampshire
26. South Dakota
27. Wisconsin
28. Nebraska
29. Illinois
30. California
31. Missouri
32. Texas
33. Louisiana
34. Alabama
35. Kentucky
36. Montana
37. Connecticut
38. Ohio
39. South Carolina
40. North Dakota
41. Georgia
42. Rhode Island
43. New York
44. Florida
45. Colorado
46. Tennessee
47. Mississippi
48. Pennsylvania
49. Hawaii
50. New Jersey
